Liquid-fuel-dispensing apparatus



Dec, 30, 1924. M. LE R. B|LL|NGS LIQUID FUEL DIsPENsING APPARATUS FilledNOV. 29 1922 Patented Dec. 30, 1924.

UNITEDy STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARION LE ROY BILLINGS, 0F ADRIAN, MICHIGAN.

LIQUID-FUEL-DISPENSING APPARATUS.

Application filed November 29, i922. Serial No. 603,929.

mgs. c v The liquid fuel dispensing apparatus used at servicestationsordinarily includes a visible reservoirvhaving air vents,"an over` Howconnection,y a fuell inlet connection and outlet connection', a meteringdevice, afloat in the reservoir ada tedto actuate a metering deviceduring t e outflow of fuel, and a. valve .and valve operating mechanismadapted 'to' coyntrol'the' outflow of fuel and place the' meteringdevice in condition to be actuated yby the float during the outflow v0ffuel! ,l

In this' 'type'of'apparatus the fuel may flow from `the reserv'olr by`gravitylorbe forced therefrom by A airunder compression, but in bothinstances av valvular means is adapted to be manually actuated torelease a predeterminednquantity of Ifuel and some of the attendants ofService stations vequipped with thesev li'quitl fuel'dispensingapparatus have discovered'thatthe outlet valves can be eased olf oftheir'seats or slightly actuated, toreleasefuel, without the metering devicebeing" actuated. This fraudulent practice has resulted in many gallonsof fuel bein removed from reservoirs and unaccounte .for by the ownersof service stations, andmy invention in its broadest aspect, involves avalve and valve operating mechanism. byl which fuel cannot besurreptitiously removed "from the reservoir. To prevent such nefariouspractice I have designed a valve and valve operating mechanismarticulated relative to a metering device so that initialactuation ofeither the valve `or the valve operating mechanism places the 'float ormeter 'operating mechanism in condition to immediately actuate the meterat the first instance of theA flow of fuel. In other words, the valvewhich controls the outlet of fuel-cannot be eased oft' of its seat oractuated to the extent of providing any orifice or opening through whichgasoline may ooze or flow withoutv positively actuating the meteringdevice of the dispensing apparatus.

Specilicially my invention may include an elongated valve or a valvehaving a skirt, either of which must positively'clear an outlet openingand in so doing place the metering device in condition for actuation bythe first flow of fuel. Then again,-I may resort to a lost motionbetween a valve and its operating mechanism in Order that the valveoperating mechanism can, place the meteringdevice ,in conditionforo'p'eration before the valve is removed from its seat,zancl sincethere. may be, other ways of accomplishing the purpose of my invention,l

`would have it understood that the constructions to be hereinafterspecifically described are simply afair example of what'ma'y'be employedfor preventingvthe theft of fuel from liquid fuel dispensingapparatus.'`

My invention will now l.be further described by aid of the drawing,wherein- Figure 1 isa vertical sectional iview of a conventional form ofliquid fuel dispensing apparatus employing one form of'valve forpreventing fuel from being surre titiously removed from the apparatus,an

Fig. 2 'is a detail sectional view of another form of valve or valveoperating mechanism that may be used for the same purpose.

In the drawing,'the referencefn'umeral 1 denotes a reservoir having abase 2 provided with an inlet connection 3 and an outlet connection 4,said inlet connection having a stand pipe 5 extending in proximity tothe top G of the reservoir so that said reservoir may receive a largequantity of liquidfuel, for instance gasoline or 'kerosene. In additionto the connections 3 and 4 there may be overflow, air and ventcounections.l

"7 denotes a casing on the top 6 of the reservoir l and in said casingis a conventional form of metering device, generally designated 8. Thismetering device may be of the recording, registering or indicating typeadapted to be actuated by movement of a float inone direction, and asillustrating a suitable float actuating mechanism, I show the meteringdevice as including a rotatable gear or pinion 9 1adapted to havemovement imparted thereto by a rack l() movable into and out ofengagement with the gear or pinion, said rack having its lower endpivotally attached to the ltop of a iioator'huoyant member 11 in thereservoirl and adapted to be raised by the inflow of gasoline into theAreservoir and lowered by the outflow of gasoline from the reservoir.

Engaging the appelend of the rack p1n is a tiltable pivoted guide member12 adapted to he tilted to shift the rack into or out of engagement withthe gear or pinion 9 and engaging the tiltable guide member 12 for thispurpose is an iarm 13 carried by the upper end of a valve rod 14extending through the reservoir 1 and axially of the outlet connection4.

1 5 denotes a rod guide and valve seat member mounted in the outletconnection 4` said ineiuher having a spider or axial guide 16 for thelower portion of the valve rod 14 and in the lower end of the member isjournaleil a rock shaft 17 provided with a crank 1S engaging the lowerend of the valve rod 14 and adapted to be manually' rocked or actuatedto raise the valve rod 14. O n the lower-end of the valve rod 14 is anabutment 19 and encircling said valve rod, between the spider 16 and theabutment 19, is a .c oile d expansion spring 2O holding the lower end ofthe valve rod normally in engagement with the 4crank 18 and a valve 21on said valve rod normally seated on the upperend of the valve seatlmember 15. Ordinarily the valve 21 is of that type which when initiallyactuated permits of vgasoline to flow 4from the reservoir 1 mto thevalveseat member 15 and out of the lower end thereof to the automobile tankto i be filled. vSo'far I have described a conven- V tional forni ofliquid fuel dispensing apparatus and` the connections etween the valverod 14 and the meterin device. 8 v are such that an attemiant oft eapparatus may slightly rock the shaft 1 7 andease the valve 21 o` of itsseat to the extent of permitting a quantity of gasoline within the.

reservoir 1 to flow therefrom without the metering device 8beingactuated, and it is obvious that in time largequantities of gas`oline may be surreptitiously removed fronr the reservoir. Y

As pointed out in the beginnin my invention aims to eliminate this frauulent or nefarious practice by changing the valvular construction.Instead of using the ordinary valve 21 I may provide said valve with askirt, extension, piston or guide portion 22 engaging walls ofthe valveseat member 15 and preventing the outflow of gasoline until such pistonor guide portion 22 clears the valve seat of the member 15. This meansthat the valve rod 14 must be moved a prescribed distance beforegasoline can How and it is this prescribed movement of thc valve rodthat positively places the metering device in condition to be operatedat the least perceptible fall of the float 11. In other words, the rack10 is placed in operative engagement with the gear or pinion fl and thefloat 11 cannot be lowered without actuating the metering device.

As shown in Fig-2 I may resort to a lost motion between the valve andthe valve rod, such arrangement including a valve seat member 23 interiorly screwthreaded to receive a bnshing'24`having a spider guide forthe valve rod 14. Slidable on the valve rod 14 is a valve 2G havingastnlng box 27 and a sleeve 28 about the valveirod 14. The sleeve 28 isslotted to receiveha transverse pin 29 carried b v the valve ro'd 14,and a spring 30 about the sleeve 28 holds the valve 26 normally` seatedon the-upper end of the bushing 24. Initial movement of the crank 18shifts the valve rod 14 and places the meter or registering deviceincondition for actuation by the Hoat 11, this living accomplished withoutunseatingA the valve 26. Further actuation of the crank 1S unseats thevalve 26 and' permits fuel to flow while the meter is beingloperated toregister the amount of fuel removed; from the reservoir. It isobvious,that" the stuing box 27 prevents leakage around the valvestem14, and that the valve 26 will be seated, when released, by theexpansive .force of the spring z 5 f xlVliile'in the drawings there'argl-illustrated the preferred embodimentoffmyinvention', it is to beunderstoodthat the structural elements are susceptible-.t0. Such changesasifall within the scopet oftheappended claims.

`1.-.In a :liquidfdispe'nsin .devicehaying a reservoirand'. .an,outletvave,.-a vregistering .devicea` float'. in said reservoir, means effectinggearedengagement -between saidt Il oat and saidmeteringdevice duringflowoffuel from said reservoir, an' outleti.y.a,l vei n A said reservoirand. valve 'unseatin'gjmechanism..

independent of. and -actuating .said means prior tothe unseating ofsaidvalv.e. 2. In a liquid dispensin device having a reservoir and an outletva ve, alregistering device, .a float in saidfreservoir, means ef-Hfecting geared engagement between said float and said metering deviceduring flow of fuel from said reservoir, an outletgvalve in saidreservoir, and valve unseating mechanism having lost motion prior tounseating of said valve. said mechanism being in-- dependent. of andfully actuating said means during such lost motion. Y

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

`Witnesses1 F. H. Koos, L. C, ENDERs,

